Arab states prepare to back Palestinians

By Ross Runn, Sydney Morning Herald,21 October 2000

The Arab world is poised to declare strong solidarity with the
Palestinians in their fight against Israel, while warning that the
conflict must not plunge the entire region into war.

A declaration to this effect is expected at the end of a two-day
emergency meeting of Arab nations that opens in Cairo today.

The United States has urged moderate Arab leaders to prevent the
summit adopting extreme positions that would further isolate Israel,
and to encourage militant Palestinians to adhere to a ceasefire
agreement.

Among those fighting to maintain a conciliatory tone is the conference
host, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, who said Arab leaders must to
try to restart peacemaking with Israel, rather than heed calls to go
to war.

A declaration of war is not a game, he said.

The concept of war is an ancient one. Issues are only resolved
through negotiations and international pressure. Egypt and Jordan
are the only Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel.

A few other Arab nations have low-level economic ties with Israel, but
militant Arab countries are urging them to sever these following the
latest violence. More than 100 people have died in the recent unrest,
most of them Palestinians.

The Syrian Foreign Minister, Mr Farouk al-Shara, joined those calling
for a break in Arab-Israeli relations, saying Arab states should even
ban handshakes.

At the same time, he reaffirmed his country's commitment to trading
land with Israel in exchange for peace.

The summit is the first of its kind since 1996 and the first for a
decade to which all Arab countries have been invited.

The conference aims to forge a joint stand over what delegates
describe as Israel's failure to honour peace deals with the
Palestinians and its excessive use of force to quell rioting.

It comes at a critical time, with a 48-hour period to test a truce
between Israel and the Palestinians due to end yesterday. The
ceasefire was agreed at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh
this week.

While there has been a general decrease in the violence, the accord
has not halted fighting, with security chiefs from both sides
struggling to restore order.

One Palestinian and a Jewish settler died during a fierce gun-battle
on Thursday. Israeli combat helicopters traded heavy fire with
Palestinian gunmen in a five-hour shoot-out during a mission to rescue
Jewish settlers trapped on a hillside near the West Bank town of
Nablus.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ehud Barak, said the Palestinians had
committed a gross violation of the Sharm el-Sheikh truce. Palestinians
accused the Israelis of firing first.

While the unrest has provoked popular outrage across the Arab world,
Palestinian delegates are also calling for a continuation of dialogue
with Israel.

*Mark Riley reports from Gaza: In a significant conciliatory move, the
Palestinian Authority chairman, Mr Yasser Arafat, urged the
cancellation of a Palestinian rally that was to be held at the Jabalia
refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

In what was shaping up as a dangerous flashpoint, the Hamas leader
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin had urged followers to protest against the Sharm
el-Sheikh peace agreement, and distributed flyers calling on
worshippers to take up their weapons and double the intifada
against the Israelis.

But officials from the Palestinian Authority went to the mosque and
warned worshippers that any violence was likely to draw fire from
Israeli helicopter gunships.